Improvement in dissected maps



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. HIGGINS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN nlssEcTEDMAPs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,338, dated September 2, 1873*; application filed February 28, 1873.

tical surface, and in such a manner that either the whole or any desired part can be shown.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a view of one of my maps, a block representing one State being removed in order to show more clearly the construction of the frame. Fig. 2

shows the spring whichI commonly use for vattaching the blocks to the frame. Fig. 3 shows one of the blocks. Fig. 4 is a sectional view, showing the manner of attaching the block to the frame.

A represents the frame of my map, which may be made in any desired style, the back being attached so as to leave the depth of the frame. nearly equal to the thickness of the f blocks, so that when the blocks are yall set into the frame their outersurface will correspond nearly to the front edge of the frame. The frame maybe made of any desired size l to accommodate the style of map desired. B B, Ste., are the blocks of wood or other suitable material, upon the faces of which are painted or otherwise delineated the maps.

Each block may represent a town, acounty, a State, or a country, or any other geographl ical division, accordingly as 'the map is intended to represent a county, State, country, or hemisphere.v In the present` instance the blocks represent States, and the map reprelsents The Western partof the United States..77 The blocks are each made with a small hole, c, in the center, which corresponds with a similar hole, D, inthe back of the frame. The holes c and D maybe cased with metal. These blocks I generally make ot three thin pieces of wood glued or otherwise secured together, the grain of the central piece running at right angles to that of the side pieces. Thin paper may then be pasted on the sides to secure smoothness. E E, &c., are springs for attaching the blocks to the frame. They are formed by bending a piece of spring wire so as to make an eye or back at a, Fig. 2, and having the ends b b extended nearly parallel, as seen in Fig. 2.

When the blocks are in position the springs, Y

being inserted in the holes e and D, tend to expand with suficient force to hold the blocks in position, and yet render them easy f removal or adjustment. l

.I do not desire to confine myself to the method described of attaching the blocksto wit, by means of spring E and holes c and 'D but desire to use any .device for attaching the blocks to the' frame in Vsuch a manner that they can be removed at ease.

The advantage of my map consists in the fact that it can be hung up in a vertical position on the `walls of a school-room, so as to be readily seen by a whole class; and either the whole map-as, for instance, the whole map of the United States-can be seen at once, or a part-as the western Statescan be studied separately, or the original thirteen States can be placed in position, and the others added in the order they were admitted to the Union, thus presenting clearly to the eye of the pupil the strongly-marked outline of our country at the successive periods in its history. A similar method may be pursued in the study of other divisions.

What I claim isl. A dissected map, in which the various subdivisions are capable of being separately secured to the frame in which they are supported, substantially as described.

2. The compound blocks of a dissected map made upof two or more sheets of material, substantially as described.

f OIIAS. J. HIGGINS.

Witnesses: A

A. B. J UDsoN, A. B. JUDsoN, Jr. 

